Micromachined devices

Abstract

A micromachined device has a body suspended over a substrate and movable in a plane relative to the substrate. The body has a perimeter portion, a first cross-piece portion extending from one part of the perimeter portion to another part of the perimeter portion to define at least first and second apertures, a first plurality of fingers extending along parallel axes from the perimeter portion into the first aperture, and a second plurality of fingers extending along parallel axes from the perimeter portion into the second aperture.

1. A method comprising:
 forming a micromachined gyroscope including a first structure and a second structure,
 the first structure for being dithered at a resonant frequency along a dither direction, 
 the first and second structures being movable along a sensing direction orthogonal to the dither direction, 
 the gyroscope further including a plurality of fingers forming part of a capacitor and circuitry for sensing the movement of the fingers along the sensing direction to provide a sensed signal indicative of a rotational velocity; and 
 
 packaging the gyroscope under ambient conditions, 
 wherein the forming includes forming four substantially identical gyroscopes coupled in a cross-quad arrangement. 
 
   
   
     2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the forming includes forming a structure with elongated apertures, and fingers extending into the elongated apertures.